Futokutei
by Hyper-Punk
Summary: What? Like I'm gonna give the story away!


No, sadly, I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. sobs All characters are the real thing, from the show, except for Sachiko. She's, well, me own creation. WOOT! So, yes, Avatar: The Last Airbender is not mine. And that's me disclaimer. bows

Sachiko's eyes fluttered open. They closed as quickly, though, as the sun filtered through brightly. Pain shot up her arm and leg like a knife. She felt water lap up over her. Sputtering, she realized any movement would be futile. She lay, listening to the water, and she knew she was beside the ocean. But where was she? The last thing she remembered…was a fire navy ship.

Someone stood over, casting a large shadow over the sun. She opened her eyes a bit to see a shirtless boy, obviously from the water tribes, peering down at her. He reached out to touch her, and she leaped up, growling, slapping his head.

As she stepped back from him, her steps wavered and she fell to the sand, yet another wave lapping up over her.

"Ow…" He straightened up and shouted, "Katara! Aang! C'mere!"

Sachiko tried to blot them out. The pain in her arm and leg were so unbearable, that she did manage to make them sound far away. But maybe they could help…? Ah, thinking was futile, also. All she could do was lay there.

More shadows crowded around her and she opened her eyes a slit. A girl…also an obvious water tribe native…and another boy…this time she didn't recognize his nation. She closed her eyes again and felt herself lifting from the ground. Maybe she was dead…? Maybe she was leaving them…?

But she was set down again. Someone began to lift her shirt, but she slapped at them, sitting up and growling. A hand roughly flew at her and shoved her back again. Sachiko landed with a grunt and kept her eyes shut tight. No one dared lift her shirt again. They moved her arms around a bit, and the pain seared up to her head, causing it to throb. Finally, much to her relief, everything left her as she fell unconscious.

"I wonder what his name is…?"

"I know…he's from the water tribes, we know that."

"Most likely the North Pole…"

Those voices…who were they talking about? Sachiko opened her eyes and looked around. She was lying in something close to the sky. Sitting up, she realized she was in some over-sized saddle. Night was quickly approaching. Standing up, her leg immediately hurting like hell, she surveyed the clearing in which the beast she stood on sat. It was surrounded by trees on all but one side. The beach on that side stretched on forever. The sky was a beautiful array of pastel colors, and below her the three others sat around a fire, eating and talking.

She stumbled down to the ground and the others turned to her. The girl jumped up and hurried to Sachiko's side.

"Come…eat…you've been asleep for three days…" She helped Sachiko to the fire, sitting her down and handing her a dish of some type of gruel.

Sachiko thanked her with narrowed eyes, taking the gruel and sniffing it. The girl smiled.

"What's your name?" she asked. "I'm Katara. This is Aang…and my older brother Sokka."

"I'm…" Sachiko hesitated. The last time she had told someone her name, they had killed her family. Glowering at Katara, she hissed, "And why should I tell you?"

Katara glanced at Sokka. "We noticed that you're from the water tribes. Sokka and I…we are too."

Sokka leaned over to Aang. "He sounds like a girl…"

Sachiko threw a handful of gruel at Sokka. "Shove it, you big idiot!" Sokka started and then wiped the gruel from his face with a scowl.

Katara placed a hand on Sachiko's shoulder. "Just tell us…don't listen to him…what's your name?"

Sachiko gave up. Why shouldn't she tell them? They weren't firebenders, for goodness sake! After trying a few times, she finally managed a harsh, "I am Susumu Sachiko, of the Susumu Village in the South Pole."

"Ah-ha!" Katara grinned, clapping her hands. "I knew I recognized that outfit from somewhere! Sokka, remember the time we went to the Susumu Market Place? And the goat kicked you?"

Sokka rubbed his butt. "Unfortunately, I remember…"

_"Look at that, Sokka!" Katara danced around the petting zoo. Sokka scowled; for he was six now and a very big boy. _

_"It's just a goat, Katara," he snapped. Their mother pushed him forward, urging him to play along. He scowled deeper._

_Katara took his hand. "Look! Look! Loo—"_

_Sokka fell flat on his face in the ice. "O-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-w-w-w-w-w-w-w," he sobbed, rubbing his butt. "Mommy! The goat just kicked my ass!"_

_Katara snickered as their mother slapped him, snapping, "We don't say that word, Sokka!"_

Katara laughed out loud. "Now that was funny."

Sachiko shifted her position, her eyes flickering across the fire to Aang. What nation was he from? She was bound to find out.

"Where are you from?" she asked loudly, pointing a finger at Aang. Aang looked up. Katara smiled. After her consent, he grinned and began that so well known introduction.

"I'm Aang, the Avatar…we're headed to the North Pole to find a waterbending teach for Katara and me."

Sachiko's eyes flew open. "The Avatar?" she cried. "That can't be! He died…"

But the look on their faces told her he was not kidding. Those arrows on him…that would explain it! He was an airbender! Slowly a smile spread across her face.

"The Avatar…" Letting it roll over her tongue, she glanced up at the sky that was filled by now with stars…millions and millions of stars. Suddenly she remembered something her brother had said.

_The stars…have you ever tried counting them, Sachiko? It's not impossible, though it may seem. So never think_… "…that anything is impossible," she whispered, tears filling her eyes. The others watched her.

Sokka cocked an eyebrow. "What?"

Sachiko looked back at him. Swiping at her eyes, she hurriedly answered, "Oh…n-nothing!"

Katara sighed and stretched. "I'm exhausted. Anyone else?"

Sokka and Aang both replied simultaneously. One by one they began unrolling pallets onto the ground. Sachiko sat and watched them, then looked to her feet. Her eyes caught white…bandages. Her left arm was bandaged up to her shoulder and her right leg was bandaged from her mid-thigh to her ankle. What had happened…?

Katara again placed a hand on her shoulder. "We have an extra pallet."

Sachiko smiled slightly. "Thanks…" She quickly rid of her smile, replacing it with a fierce scowl. "I mean…thanks."

Katara turned and started to unroll another one. Aang put the fire out and Sokka collapsed onto his blankets. Katara settled into hers. Aang turned and sat down onto his, taking off his shirt before he crawled under the blankets. Sachiko sat on the ground, watching them.

Presently Sokka's eye popped open. He watched Sachiko watch him. "What?" he cried hysterically. Sachiko looked to her feet.

"I…can't sleep alone…" she said quietly. Sokka sat up.

"What?"

Sachiko sighed. "I said I can't sleep alone. We were poor, so…I always slept in the same bed as my brother…"

Sokka scratched his head. "So…?"

Sachiko glowered at him. Then her face softened. "Can I…sleep in the same pallet as you…?"

Sokka's eyes widened. "But you're—a guy!"

Sachiko groaned and reached back, untucking her long blonde hair from her black shirt. Sokka stared. Katara sat up.

"I knew it! I knew Sachiko was a girl's name!" She laughed. "So…you really have to sleep by…Sokka…to get to sleep?"

Aang laughed from where his head was buried underneath his blankets. Sachiko blushed, nodding.

Katara laughed again, and pulled the blankets back from Sokka. "Climb on in."

Sokka turned to her, frantic. "What?"

Sachiko scampered over to Sokka, took off her jacket, and curled up into a ball on the pallet. Sokka, a bit uneasy, covered both he and Sachiko up, and by the time the moon was high above them, all were asleep.


End file.
